Dear Neighbors,
The past couple of weeks have been quite eventful here at the Capitol! I’d like to take this opportunity to give you an update on what’s happening in St. Paul.
Governor’s Budget
Last Tuesday, Gov. Dayton released his proposed budget for the next two years. Currently, we have a $1.4 billion budget surplus, and this puts us in a position to take some actions expanding opportunities for Minnesotans. The Governor has certainly come forward with some ideas to do this, especially in the area of education. Perhaps like no other, this Governor has been a champion for public education! As a teacher, I’m so pleased to see his continued commitment to students reflected in his budget.
Gov. Dayton’s budget proposal includes a 2 percent increase on the per pupil formula each of the next two years. In order to make sure our young people can experience a world class education, we need to ensure our schools receive adequate resources. We’re in danger of falling behind if our investments don’t keep up with the need. Also, the Governor calls for a $75 million increase in voluntary pre-K to make sure we can reach more of our youngest learners early on, which leads to higher achievement levels later. He also has put forth a strategy to recruit and retain more qualified teachers, increases support for career readiness efforts, and includes greater investments in special education.
The budget would give students more access to school counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and chemical dependency counselors. Made possible by the “Support Our Students” program first created by the 2016 legislature, grants are available to school districts to hire more of these critical staff members. These key individuals are able to meet students where they are at, and have a direct impact on their well-being. The Governor recommends an additional $4 million toward these grants.
You can dive into the details of the Governor’s budget proposal at his website here.
Broadband Expansion
This past Thursday was an exciting day as I was joined by other Greater Minnesota legislators including Rep. Metsa and Sen. Tomassoni for a press conference launching our effort to expand broadband infrastructure throughout the state. I’ll be soon introducing a bill in the House to do this by increasing our investment in the Border-to-Border Broadband program by $100 million.
I've promised to work towards diversifying the economy on the Range, and broadband is the infrastructure needed to provide some alternate pathways to economic development. Families, businesses, and schools all depend on speedy, reliable internet. To put it simply: if we don't build it, they won't come! We can't afford to put this off any longer if we want Minnesota to be a destination location for businesses of all types.
Health Insurance Premiums
After we passed it on the House Floor, last week Governor Dayton signed a bill to provide relief to the 125,000 Minnesotans on the individual health insurance market experiencing soaring premiums. The bill is similar to what was originally proposed by the Governor and legislative leaders to give a 25 percent discount on these premiums. To be sure, this isn’t a perfect solution, and I don’t think everyone is completely satisfied with this result. I’m sad that we didn’t have a clean bill, but admittedly, any fix is imperfect. I voted for the bill in an effort to put the needs of those most impacted by these outrageous rate increases ahead of anything else. I am hopeful we can now move past this hurdle and start working on meaningful reform. In the end, I think this compromise will become our opportunity to get it right as we move forward.
Please continue to share with me your thoughts on any issue important to you. Feel free to call or email me any time.
It’s an honor to represent you in St. Paul.
Sincerely,
Julie Sandstede
State Representative